Sheet feed mechanism in sheet handling machines



O. KLEINSCHMIT SHEET FEED MECHANISM IN SHEET HANDLING MACHINES Filed Jan. 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet Aug M, 34 Q. KLEINSCHMIT 1, 6 3

SHEET FEED MECHANISM IN SHEET HANDLING MACHINES Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT SHEET FEED MECHANISM IN SHEET MNDLING MACHENES In any Application January 26,

1932, Serial No. 589,013

In Germany February 12, 1931 22 Claims.

The present invention relates to sheet-handling machines and is more particularly concerned with the means for feeding folded sheets or book-sections to stitching machines.

Formerly it was customary in sheet or pamphlet stitching machines to place by hand the folded sheets straddle fashion over the sheet carrier by which they were thereafter conveyed. to the stitching mechanism.

Methods for effecting this manual operation by mechanical means have been visualized. The proposals hitherto made, all culminated in the idea of arranging the requisite members so as to operate in uniform and inseparable relation ship with the machine.

Now it may be desirable, by providing for a cutout of the sheet feeding mechanism, so to arrange the sheet feeding mechanism as to enable also the manual feed method to be employed for certain special work, e. g. books produced in small editions, particularly valuable books, books with unusual section arrangements, pamphlets and similar productions. In order toavoid the laborious operation of dismounting the sheet feeding device when manual sheet feeding is desired the said sheet feeding device according to the present invention is so embodied in the pamphlet stitching machine as to enable its main constituents to be readily removed from the position in which they would impede the manual feed operation. This maybe effected in various ways. For example, the whole apparatus may be retractable or oscillable or it or its main constituents may be arranged to be swung about a lateral vertical axis and/or about a horizontal axis.

According to this invention the sheet-handling machine includes a mechanical sheet feed device adapted to be readily movable to and from its operative position relative to the sheet carrier of the sheet-handling machine to permit when desired manual sheet feeding.

The particular method for efiecting this adjustment from mechanical to manual operation or vice versa is immaterial and the invention should be seen broadly to reside in rendering this adaptation possible per se and readily convertible to the normal arrangement of the machine.

Two constructional forms of this invention will now be described by way of example and in reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a book-stitching machine of the swinging sheet carrier type with which is associated a readily displaceable sheet-feeding unit according to this invention, while Fig. 2 is an end elevational View of a sheet gathering and binding machine with which a readily displaceable sheet feeding unit is arranged to operate. v

Referring to Fig. l, the book-stitching machine A includes a frame 10 in which is pivotally supported a swinging saddle-shaped sheet carrier 11 which serves to position beneath the stitcher head or heads 12 of the machine the folded sheets to be stitched. The stitching machine A is preferably mounted on a suitable fiat machine bed 15 and runners or rail tracks 16 are seated on the machine bed 15 to extend outwardly from the rear of the machine.

A sheet opening and feeding unit B comprising inversely rotating suction rolls l3 and associate sheet conveyor members 14 which form a sheet feeding device mounted upon a supporting member 17 is associated with the machine A and serves in known manner to feed mechanically to the sheet carrier 11 of the stitching machine A the sheets to be stitched.

The supporting member 17 comprises a braced quadrangular framework having its upper portion shaped to receive and position over the sheet carrier 11 the sheet opening and feeding rolls 13, while it is provided at its lowermost corners with trolley wheels 18 adapted to run on the rails 16. The bottom lateral stretchers 17a of the framework 17 are flanged to engage the rails 16 and so act as guides while a suitable clamping device 19 of any known design is secured to the machine bed and arranged to engage releasably when operated the bottom stretchers 17a of the framework 17 and so hold the unit B in the desired position.

As diagrammatically illustrated in this arrangement the drive for the sheet feeding unit B may be derived from a drive shaft 20 journalled in the supporting member 17 and driven from the main drive 21 of the stitching machine through a suitable train of gears 22.

In operation, the sheet feed unit is positioned closely adjacent the sheet carrier 11 and stitcher heads 12 of the stitching machine as shown in full lines in Fig. l and closed, folded sheets or signatures fed by the conveyor belts 14 are opened by the sheet opening rolls 13 and deposited straddlewise upon the sheet-carrier 11.

When it is desired .to feed the stitching machine by hand instead of mechanically as above described, the framework 17 is released from the clamping device 19 and the sheet feeding unit B pushed or drawn upon the rails 16 away from the stitching machine A to the inoperative position iii) shown in chain dotted lines in Fig. 1. The clamping device is then operated to engage and hold the unit B in the desired position and manual sheet feeding operations are then carried out on the stitching machine.

In the alternative arrangement shown in Fig. 2, the sheet gathering machine includes a frame 30 which serves to support a travelling conveyor 31 of the saddle shaped type adapted to receive and gather sheets or book signatures fed thereto.

The sheet feeding unit, in this embodiment of the invention, includes an auxiliaryframework 32 roughly triangular in shape, arranged with the thereof journalled upon a horizontal shaft 33 mounted. transversely of the machine frame 30 in the lower portion thereof.

The auxiliary framework 32 when in the operative sheet-feeding position has one upper projecting portion thereof extending over the travelling sheet-conveyor 81 and this projecting portion of the frame carries a sheet feeding device 34 comprising inversely rotating suction rolls 35 and associated sheet conveyor belts 36.

The rearward portion of the machine-frame 30 is provided with a pivotally mounted sleeve 37 and aligned therewith on the framework 32 is pivotally mounted a threaded sleeve or nut 38.

A threaded rod 39 is passed through the sleeve 37 and engages the threaded extremity thereof with the threaded sleeve 38 while the further extremity of the rod 39 passing through the sleeve 37 is provided with a hand-wheel 40.

In operation, the sheet feeding unit is positioned as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and when so arranged serves in known manner to open and feed folded sheets straddlewise upon the travelling conveyor 31.

When it is desired to convert the machine to manual sheet feed, the handwheel 40 is turned to revolve the rod 39 which thus causes the nut 38 to traverse along the rod 39 and so draws the auxiliary frame 32 and sheet feeding device 34 away from the conveyor 31. -he frame 32 pivots about the shaft 33 and moves to the inoperative position shown in chain dotted lines in Fig. 2. The mechanical sheet feeding device 34 is thus removed from its position over the travelling conveyor 31 and the latter is left clear to receive the book sections, folded sheets or the like manually fed thereto. It is obvious that a sheet feeding unit could readily be devised to operate upon a vertical axis so as to swing laterally to and from the sheet carrier of a sheet-handling machine.

The above described constructional embodiments have been specifically described merely by Way of example and it is not desired or intended to limit to these constructions the invention, the ambit of which is clearly defined in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. Sheet handling apparatus which includes a saddle-like sheet carrier, an automatic sheet feeding device therefor, and means for readily moving said device to and from its operative position relative to the sheet carrier.

2. Sheet handling apparatus which includes a saddle-like sheet carrier, an automatic sheet feeding device, means for readily moving said device to and from its operative position relative to the sheet carrier to permit when desired manual sheet feeding, and means for retaining in the selected position the said sheet feeding device.

8. An automatic sheet feed unit for feeding folded sheets to a saddle-like sheet carrier com prising a movable supporting frame, a sheet feed device mounted in said frame, and means for positioning said sheet feed device in an operative position relative to a sheet carrier of an associated sheet handling machine.

4. An automatic sheet feed unit comprising a movable supporting frame, a suction roller sheet feed device mounted in said frame, and means for readily moving said sheet feed device to and from its operative position relative to the sheet carrier of an associated sheet handling machine.

5. An automatic sheet feed unit comprising a supporting frame provided with bearing members adapted to move upon runners, a suction roller sheet feed device mounted upon said frame, and means for retaining said frame in the desired position upon said runners.

6. A sheet handling machine including a machine frame, a pivotal saddle-like sheet carrier, an auxiliary frame pivotally mounted in said machine frame, a sheet feeding device mounted in said auxiliary frame, and means for moving said auxiliary frame and sheet feeding device to and from the operative position relative to the said sheet carrier.

7. A sheet handling machine including a main frame, a saddle-like sheet carrier, an auxiliary frame supported upon a horizontal pivot in said main frame, a sheet feeding device mounted on said auxiliary frame, and means for positioning said auxiliary frame and sheet feed device as desired relatively to said sheet carrier.

8. A sheet handling machine including a main frame, a sheet carrying device pivotally mounted in said main frame, an auxiliary frame mounted upon a horizontal pivot in said main frame, a sheet feeding device mounted in said auxiliary frame and adapted to be positioned relatively to said sheet carrier, a pivoted threaded nut secured to said auxiliary frame, a bearing sleeve secured to said main frame, a threaded rod passing through said sleeve to engage said nut. and means for rotating said rod to move the said auxiliary frame and sheet feed device to and from the operative position relative to the said sheet carrier.

9. Sheet handling apparatus comprising in combination a book-binding machine provided with a saddle-like sheet carrier, runners extending from said machine, an auxiliary frame, provided with bearing members adapted to move upon said runners, a sheet feeding device mounted in said frame, and means for releasably securing said frame in a desired position relative to said sheet carrier.

10. Sheet handling apparatus comprising in combination a book-binding machine including a saddle-like sheet carrier and machine drive, runners extending from said machine, an auxiliary frame provided with bearing members adapted to move upon said runners, a sheet feeding device mounted in said frame, and adapted to place' folded sheets or book sections upon said sheet carrier, means for retaining said auxiliary frame and sheet feeding device in the desired position relative to the said sheet carrier, and means for actuating said sheet feeding device from the machine drive of the book-binding machine.

11. In combination a book-stitching machine, an independent automatic sheet feeding unit, and means for placing said unit into operative association with said book-stitching machine.

12. In combination a sheet handling machine provided with a movable saddle-like sheet carrier, a sheet feeding unit, and means for moving said 150 unit from the rear of the machine to an operative position above said sheet carrier and vice versa.

13. In a book-binding apparatus having a saddle-like sheet carrier, a feeding unit associated with the book-binding apparatus and adapted to feed sheets to said saddle-like carrier, and means for adjusting the position of said unit relative to the saddle-like sheet carrier to provide for automatic or manual feeding of sheets to said carrier.

14. In a book-binding apparatus having a sheet carrier for conveying sheets to a stitching mechanism, a sheet feeding unit associated with said apparatus and adapted to feed sheets to said carrier, and means for adjusting the position of the unit relative to said carrier to provide for automatic or manual feeding of sheets to said carrier.

15. In a book-binding apparatus having a sheet carrier for conveying sheets to a stitching mechanism, a sheet feeding unit associated with said apparatus and adapted to feed folded sheets or book sections to said carrier, means on said unit for opening folded sheets fed to the carrier, and means for adjustably positioning the unit relative to said carrier to provide for automatic or manual feeding of folded sheets to the carrier.

16. In a book-binding apparatus having a sheet carrier for conveying sheets to a stitching mechanism, a sheet feeding unit associated with said apparatus and adapted to feed folded sheets or book sections to said carrier, means on said unit for opening folded sheets fed to the carrier, said unit comprising a frame pivoted to said apparatus about a horizontal axis, and means for adjusting the position of said unit about said axis.

17. In a book-binding apparatus having a sheet carrier for conveying sheets to a stitching mechanism, a sheet feeding unit associated with said apparatus and adapted to feed folded sheets or book sections to said carrier, means on said unit for opening folded sheets fed to the carrier, said unit being mounted on a runway associated with the apparatus and movable toward and away from the apparatus, and means for locking the unit in adjusted positions on the runway.

18. Sheet handling apparatus which includes a sheet carrier, an automatic sheet feeding device therefor, means on said device for opening folded sheets fed thereby, and means for readily moving said device to and from its operative position relative to the sheet carrier.

19. Sheet handling apparatus which includes a sheet carrier, an automatic sheet feeding device, means on said device for opening folded sheets fed thereby, means for readily moving said device to and from its operative position relative to the sheet carrier to permit when desired manual sheet feeding, and means for retaining in the selected position the said sheet feeding device.

20. An automatic sheet feed unit comprising a movable supporting frame, a sheet feed device mounted in said frame, means on said unit for opening folded sheets fed thereby, and means for positioning said sheet feed device in an operative position relative to a sheet carrier of an associated sheet handling machine.

21. An automatic sheet feed unit comprising a movable supporting frame, a sheet feed device mounted in said frame, means on said unit for opening folded sheets fed thereby, and means for readily moving said sheet feed device to and from its operative position relative to the sheet carrier of an associated sheet handling machine.

22. An automatic sheet feed unit comprising a supporting frame provided with hearing members adapted to move upon runners, a sheet feed device mounted upon said frame, means on said unit for opening folded sheets fed thereby, and means for retaining said frame in the desired position upon said runners.

OSCAR KLEINSCHMIT. 

